Cardiovascular Disease- Prevention Through Nutrition



Cardiovascular Disease- Prevention Through Nutrition

January 19th, 2011

Darren Blackadar

Introduction

This literature review will focus on nutrition and how the body reacts to improved intake of nutrients according to health Canada. This review will also evaluate Metabolic Syndrome and how lifestyle improvements can treat and prevent heart disease and diabetes in postmenopausal women.

A healthy, well balanced diet can seem like a simple enough task in the every day life of the average North American citizen, yet is appears to be on the top of the list for prevention of many diseases such as Cardiovascular Disease. Health Canada states, Food nourishes the body and gives us energy to get through each day. Healthy eating is fundamental to good health and is a key element in healthy human development, from the prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages. Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases.(Health Canada, Nutrition and Healthy Eating). A balanced diet low in saturated fats and trans fats, maintains and improves vascularity; reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Lowering caloric intake and avoiding SFA,MUFA,PUFA and TFA keeps the levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) within the healthy range of less than 5.2 millimoles per liter. When levels of LDL exceed 3.5 mmol/L, this can begin to form plaques on the artery walls. This formation cause’s artery’s to become narrowed or maybe even blocked. If a piece of this plaque broke away it could completely block a vessel in the heart or brain causing heart attack or stroke.(Practice Nurse, 38(3))

There are many things we can do to lower LDL and total cholesterol levels such as maintaining a healthy weight, getting 30 minutes of exercise each day and avoiding smoking. In addition eating lean meats, poultry and fish in small portions, reducing intake of egg yolks and choosing skim dairy products, cooking with little or no fat and limiting or avoiding baked good. Increasing the amount of vegetables’ and fruits and increasing fiber intake are all excellent ways to reduce and prevent the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Studies also show that stress can be very damaging to our health and in one study by (Am J Health Behaviors’, 2009) found that African American women are under more stress due to economic and social determinants and are more likely to develop hypertension ; which is a major risk for developing diabetes, high blood cholesterol and coronary heart disease. People with hypertension also need to increase aerobic exercise, eat a healthy balanced diet, avoid smoking and lose weight if BMI exceeds 25 on the BMI scale. Prevention of hypertension can greatly reduce cardiovascular disease and the same recommendations apply, which once again serves to shed light on how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and exercise.

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors linked to overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and genetic factors that increase the chances for heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes and stroke.(Journal of the council of ACA, April, 2010).Obesity has become a crisis , and this study suggests that metabolic syndrome and obesity may exceed smoking as the leading risk factor for heart disease. The criteria for measuring and diagnosing metabolic syndrome includes waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL – cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose levels. The study goes on to clarify that although weight, physical activity and insulin resistance can be controlled but ageing and genetics’ cannot be controlled. Globally there are more than 1 billion overweight adults and at least 300 million are clinically obese. People are not maintaining an active lifestyle and most spend hours watching TV or are surfing the net, and more and more people choose to drive instead of walk to destinations creating an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Once again the treatment for this syndrome is reducing and lowering saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol, reducing intake of sugar and processed foods, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables and whole grains and regular physical activity, and avoiding smoking.

Conclusion

It is clear that to live a healthy and productive life free from diseases that slowly take our “health” away, we must consistently maintain healthy balanced diets rich in fiber, nutrients and lean proteins and whole grains and limit fats and processed food. We must incorporate exercise into our daily lives and avoid toxins such as cigarettes. Forming good habits in our life is a choice only each individual can make. To help a client achieve a healthier body and heart, you must provide the client with information in a way that they can understand. A client who is better informed can make better choices, but we cannot change client habits. Only the client can decide to leave a bad habit behind and begin the process of adopting a new good habit and choosing to live a healthier life. As nurses, it is our job to assess limitations and desires in our clients, and promote ways to prevent disease and good health

References

Richards,S. (2009). The building blocks of a healthy diet. Practice Nurse, 38(3), 12- 17

Journal Of Women’s Health (Volume 19, Number 1, 2010) Long-term effect of a Dietary education Program on postmenopausal Cardiovascular Risk and Metabolic Syndrome: The Brisighella Heart Study

Am J Health behaviors. 2009;33(6):661-672. Stress and Nutrition Among African American Women With Hypertension

Journal of the Council on Nutrition of the American Chiropractic Association, April 2010. The Metabolic Syndrome, An overview; new Scientific Evidence Suggests That A Healthy Lifestyle Might Be the Best Treatment Alternative and Prevention Strategy

Forming Positive Health habits- Perry and Potter, Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 4th Edition. Pg 373

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